Stop. Sabbatical time!

For six years you may sow your field, and for six years prune your vineyard, gathering in their produce.
But during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath of complete rest, a sabbath for the LORD, when you may neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.

Leviticus 25:3-4

I knew it had been a while since the last time I posted something on my blog, but I had not realized that it's been nearly 10 years since my last post! I'm a little out of practice, but here goes...

No worries. I'm not going to give a recap of the past 10 years. I don't think you're here for that. Mostly, I thought this would be the best way to share about my sabbatical year for folks who would like updates. I thought about sending out occasional emails, but I would need to find out who wants email updates and (perhaps more importantly) who doesn't. So, it's better to put out these blog posts and let you decide whether to read them. 😁😁

Before I launch into this first part of my sabbatical year, let me briefly explain the concept of sabbatical. It is the same idea as resting on the sabbath day of the week. It is recognizing that in our lives, we need times of rest, fun, rejuvenation, prayer, relationships (with God, self, and others), and renewal. A sabbatical is a more extended Sabbath day. 

The first part of my sabbatical is more about renewal and growth than about rest or rejuvenation. I am participating in a 10-week workshop for Marianist religious (FMI & SM) who are new to formation work or who are about to enter formation work. So, those of us who accompany or will accompany our newer religious.

I left Cincinnati, Ohio, on an 11:08 AM flight on Sunday, August 13, and arrived in Nairobi, Kenya 29 hours later - around 9 PM local time on Monday, August 14. I had a scheme worked out so that the time change wouldn't be terrible for me. Basically, I left Cincinnati really tired so that I could sleep across the ocean. Even though it would be the middle of the afternoon in Ohio, it was nighttime in Nairobi, so I wanted to sleep at the time I would sleep when I arrived. I think folks thought the idea was ridiculous. But, I tell you what... it worked! I slept on the flight to Frankfurt, Germany, and was awake all day Monday so that I could sleep once I arrived at the retreat center. 

We're staying at the retreat center of the Dimesse Sisters - a congregation founded in Italy. Their official name... the Daughters of Mary Immaculate (FMI)! Crazy. I knew there was another FMI congregation out there, but I didn't realize that they had the exact same name. I suppose that's why we put (Marianist) after our name. 

It's my first time on the African continent. So, I was pretty excited about that. On Saturday, August 19, we will take our first excursion away from the retreat center grounds. We're heading to a nature reserve called Giraffe Centre (British spelling, of course). I'm looking forward to seeing more of the area. 

Anyway, let me give you a brief synopsis of a few things we've done, things that I've noticed, or that have struck me for some reason. In no particular order...

• Of the 29 participants, 8 are from India - 2 FMIs and 6 SMs. Our first full day here was Indian Independence Day. It was also Korean Independence Day, and we have one SM here from Korea. We celebrated at a social that evening with the Indian National Anthem (I believe) & Bosco from Korea joined in: 
  
  
• The margarine set out each day at breakfast has as its description, "Fat Spread." How's that for truth in advertising!
• We have the option of paying the staff a minimal fee to do our laundry, or we can do it ourselves. Well, I'm not a fan of paying people to wash my dirty clothes, so I decided I'd do it myself. Well... I went into the laundry room and quickly realized that doing it yourself means doing it by hand. I thought, "I can do this." And yes, I can. But it took me forever, and I'm not really sure my socks and t-shirts are actually clean or that all the soap is out ... I think I'll swallow my pride and pay the fee for them to wash my socks, pants, and shirts. But I'll continue to do my intimates myself. 😏
• Because many of the Brothers here have studied at the Univ. of Dayton over the years, I keep seeing Dayton-related t-shirts. This CJ one caught me off guard, but I was happy to see it. 

• We've spent the first few days getting an orientation to our time. Our second full day was a retreat focused on Mary as a model for formation and Joseph as a model of formation. The days have been good and full. We begin with morning prayer and meditation at 7, followed by 8 AM breakfast. At 9, we begin our morning session that goes until 12:30 (with a break for tea and snacks around 10:30). Then we're free until 3 PM when we begin with the 3 o'clock prayer outside around statues of Mary and John at the foot of the cross. Our afternoon session goes until 5:30 (with another tea/snack break). Mass is at 5:45, followed by supper. In the evenings, we may have something after supper, but so far, we haven't had an evening thing. Night prayer is at 8:30 PM, and when that's over, I typically head to bed. 

• All of our prayer, sessions, and sharing have been either in English or French (we have a translator who speaks both - we wear headphones for sessions through which we hear his translations into English or into French). Most people here have basic knowledge of at least one of those. There are some people who are fluent in both - plus Italian, Spanish, etc. And there are some for whom English is their second, third, or fourth language, but English is the language of the community house in which they live (this is true in India, for instance). 
• We've been using the iBreviary app for morning prayer, Mass, and night prayer. It's a sign of the times that we all staring at our phones for prayer. 📱

Okay, that's more than enough for now.  😀

Know of my prayers for you.

Blessings,

Nicole, FMI

God gives the increase...

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them…. 

the disciples approached him and said, "… dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said to them, "…give them some food yourselves." 

But they said to him, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have here." 

Then he said, "Bring them here to me."…. he said the blessing, broke the loaves, 

and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. 

They all ate and were satisfied.

Excerpts from Matthew 14:13-21

One year ago today I professed my perpetual commitment to serve God and our world as a Marianist Sister. It was a marvelous weekend-long celebration with family, friends, members of the Marianist family from near and far… There was a lot of joy in the celebration. And as I had the silver ring placed on my finger, the one with the inscription "God alone," I had absolutely no idea exactly how the year ahead would play itself out and how important that inscription would become.

Since that day one year ago it has been a wonderful year. But it's also had its share of challenges. But, challenges can be bearers of grace, as well. Perhaps we don't see it in the moment - as is my experience - but after the fact, if one is open one can see how grace was a by-product of challenges faced.

Yesterday I spent the day with other members of the Marianist Family at Indian Lake. It was a relaxing day of eating, talking, playing games, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, and other water sports. It was a wonderful day. In the evening we gathered to celebrate Mass outside facing the lake. It was beautiful and the temperature was perfect. But the highlight was the homily given by our presider, my friend Fr. Chris. I found the homily perfect to pull together some thoughts I was having about the anniversary of my perpetual vows, the year gone by, and today's readings ...

In our Gospel the disciples are faced with people in need. The disciples know they do not have what it takes to meet the needs of the crowd. There's too many of them and disciples are so few and have so little. Who hasn't felt like that in their lives? The needs of the world are so great…. The needs in our own communities or families are often too great for what we can offer. Maybe we don't have enough time or enough resources… enough compassion or enough patience… Maybe we're not organized enough or intelligent enough… Maybe we feel that our mistakes have been too great. Whatever our reasoning, most of us can find a reason why we are simply "not enough" to meet the needs around us.

For sure I have felt that way many times myself - especially in the last year. I can list many traits and skills that I simply do not have enough of to meet the needs or complete the tasks expected (whether that's my own expectation or the expectation of others). People are often overly aware of what they lack. And I am no exception!

What is Jesus' response? "Bring what you have to me." And they do. He blesses it, breaks it, and gives it back to them so that they can meet the needs. This is a model for us, yes? It's true. We will never have enough or be enough to meet all the needs we see. We can't save the world. But that's not the call, really. I've said it before and I'll say it again - the world has a savior and it's not us. The call is to allow God to meet the needs and to bring salvation by using what little we have. God blesses what we offer - breaks it open (our very lives if we allow it) - and gives it back to us so that God can work through us.

This is perhaps something we can know intellectually. However, if we do not take it to heart and base our lives on it, the life of discipleship can be disheartening or discouraging. Our first reading tells us though that if we listen and follow… if we continue to bring our meager offerings to God… if we keep doing what we are called to do… we will be renewed. But the trick is in offering what we have to God - not pretending that everything depends on us or living with the illusion that we have what it takes. We don't.

It reminds me of a prayer often attributed to Archbishop Oscar Romero (but was actually written by an American bishop - Ken Untener):

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificententerprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way ofsaying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection.No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church's mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, anopportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the masterbuilder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.

If there is anything about which I need to keep reminding myself it is this prayer. And our readings for this weekend. There are many things that call for our attention in this world, in our everyday lives. And we simply cannot meet them all. But it is God who gives the increase and it is God who meets the needs. Perhaps we just need to offer what we have to God and then get out of God's way!

Many blessings to all who read this!
Sr. N